Rod-packing.



A. C. THOMPSON.

ROD PACKING.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEZQ, 1911.

1,011,671 Patented Dec. 12,1911.

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attorney I COLUMBIA PLANOGRAIH c c.

ALANSON CLARENCE THOMPSON, OF MONIVIOU'I'I-I, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 GEORGE E. COX, 0F MONIVIOUTH, ILLINOIS.

ROD-PACKING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 29, 1911.

Patented Dec. 12, 1911. Serial No. 635,920. I

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALANSON CLARENCE THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Monmouth, in the county of Warren and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rod-Packing; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. b

This invention relates to piston rod packing, and more especially to packing of th s character which is employed on the reciprocating piston rods of locomotives; and the object of the same is to produce a packing box for use in the cylinder head and which is capable of the adjustment and replacement of its packing proper from time to time as the same becomes worn. This ob ject is accomplished by constructing the device as hereinafter more fully described and claimed and as shown in the drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section through this improved rod packing, the rod itself being shown in dotted lines; Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective detail of the two semi-cylindrical sections or segments of which the packing proper is composed.

Referring to the drawings, the letter P designates broadly the packing which is composed of block tin, Babbitt, and zinc or any suitable composition which will permit wear of the packing without causing much if any wear of the shaft; C designates the cone which surrounds the packing and may be made of cast, malleable, or wrought iron or other material; S designates the sleeve, preferably of brass, surrounding the cone; and R is the rod which is to be packed and which in the present instance is the piston rod of a locomotive.

The packing P as a whole is cylindrical on its interior to surround the rod and slightly tapering on its exterior from its thick end 1 to its opposite or thinner end 2 which is rounded off on the outside as shown, and it is made in a number of seg ments, preferably two, which are dupli-- cates of each other and hence a description of one will suflice for all. One end of each segment has a deep recess 3 whose inner end 4 is preferably rounded and whose top and bottom edges 5 and 6 are straight and parallel circumferentially' of the packing but converge slightly toward each other radially thereof, and the ends. 7 and 8 above the top edge 5 and below the bottom edge 6 respectively are beveled oif inwardly so that the outer face of this end of the segment is longer than the inner face. The other end of the segment has a tongue 13 of less length than the depth of the recess 3 so that its extremity 14 does not touch this bottom 4 of said recess; and, while the upper and lower edges 15 and 16 of said tongue are parallel circumferentially of the segment, they converge toward each other radially inward thereof to correspond with the convergence of the edges 5 and 6. So also the ends 17 and 18-, which form shoulders above and below the tongue 13, are beveled off rather than being cut off radially of the packing, with the result that its inner face at this end is longer than its outer face. It follows from this construction of the mating segments of the packing that. when they are assembled the tongues 13 lie within the recesses 3 but the ends 14 of the former do not touch the bottoms or ends 4 of the latter, the top and bottom edges of the recesses engage the upper and lower edges of the tongues, and the ends or extremities 7 and 8 of one segment contact with the ends or shoulders 17 and 18 of the next. Especially where the packing is made in two segments, which I prefer, the parts or halves are capable of distention or movement along a line at true right angles to the point where the packing is divided, during which movement each tongue draws slightly outward within its recess; but in case steam should leak alongside the rod R and into the packing from either end, its outward pressure therein would have a tendency to force the end of the recessed extremity of the segment radially outward while the tongue 13 would not be subjected to this movement and the result would be that whichever edge 5 or 6 was moved outward past the tongue for a slight distance its bevel would engage that on the corresponding edge of the tongue and leakage would be prevented between these parts. As the interior of the packing wears by continued use, the ends of its segments (which at first do not quite contact with eachother), approach nearer and nearer until they come into contact, al-

though the extremity of the tongue 13 at this time does not contact with the bottom of the recess 3. The packing must then be removed from the box and withdrawn from the rod, and the extremities 7, 8, 17 and 18 filed off, and then the segments of the packing can be replaced for renewed wear. The cone member C of this improved rod packing is also made in segments, preferably two in number, and therefore a description of one will suffice for both. As a whole this member tapers internally to correspond with the exterial taper of the packing memberjust described, the taper beginning at the point 30 at the larger end and continuing through out the inner face of each segment as at 31 to its other and smaller end where it is provided with an internal shoulder 32 adapted to make contact with the rounded outer face 2 of the smaller end of the packing. This cone member C is also tapered on its outer face as at 41, in the same direction as its interior taper 31 but to a lesser degree, and around its larger end there is a projecting annular collar 42 for a purpose to appear below. The meeting ends of the segments of this cone may be cut off straight on lines radial to it as a whole. Axially this cone member is longer internally than the packing member above described, the purpose of which will be set forth below.

The sleeve member S of this improved rod packing is by preference made of brass and strictly cylindrical on its outer face as at 50, while its interior has the same taper 51 as the external taper 11 of the cone member just described. Its actual length is consid erably less than that of the cone member for a purpose which will appear below. Unlike the other two members, the sleeve is preferably continuous so that in effect it is a band surrounding the other split members. I have not considered it necessary for purposes of illustrating the present invention to show the means whereby this surrounding sleeve or band is held within the stuiiing box if this improved packing is used upon a rotating shaft, or within the cylinder head if it is used upon the piston rod R of a locomotive as I have intended, but it will be understood that some such devices may be necessary for holding the sleeve, although they form no part of the present invention. I might add also that there will be employed a coiled expansive spring and a follower for holding the parts of this improved rod packing to their work and feeding the packing P forward as it wears; but here again, as the details of said spring and follower are not parts of the present invention, I have omitted illustration and description thereof.

In the parts of this improved rod packing as first set up, the walls of the packing P are quite thick because they have not been worn by the rod and it will have been so cast or formed that its interior is truly cylindrical when its tongues 13 are not entered very far into its recesses 3. The result is that when its segments are placed within the cone C, the segments of the latter do not contact end to end and they also are distended somewhat, and it follows that this member cannot be entered far into the sleeve member S. As the packing wears internally its segments approach each other and therefore its external size decreases; this permits it to press fart-her and fart-her into the cone until its end 2 contacts with the shoulder 32 in the latter, and when the looseness of the rod gives notice to the engineer, he will separate the various parts of this rod packing, file off the ends of the packing segments as above described, and replace all parts for renewed wear. On this occasion, in order that the packing member will not pass too far into the cone member, the latter is set forward within the sleeve S and the outside taper of the cone at 411 combining with the inside taper 51 of the sleeve will cause the segments of the cone to be drawn a little closer together and therefore its size inside to be reduced. This process is repeated from time to time until the packing member is worn quite thin; and when it is replaced by a new member with thicker walls, the segments of the cone member are again separated and reset within the sleeve, and the operation above described is repeated.

Thus it will be seen that I have produced an improved rod packing in three members whereof two are susceptible of repeated use and the packing segments themselves which make contact with the rod can be used until they become almost dangerously thin, and even if they should break the presence of the shoulder 32 within the cone prevents them falling out of place.

Changes in details of construction and additions to or elaborations of this idea may be made as come within the spirit of the invention.

WVhat is claimed as new is:

1. In a rod packing, the combination with a surrounding sleeve cylindrical on its exterior and tapered on its interior; of a segmental cone member longer than said sleeve and externally tapered to correspond with the internal taper thereof, the interior of the cone member being tapered in the same direction as its exterior but steeper, an internal shoulder around its smaller end, and a segmental packing member of less length than the cone member, with its exterior tapered to correspond with the interior of said cone member and its smaller end rounded to contact with the shoulder thereof.

2. In a rod packing, the combination with an internally tapered cone member made in segments, and means for approximating said segments; of a packing member made in seg ments with inter-engaging tongues and recesses at their extremities whereof the meeting edges are parallel circumferentially of this member but converging toward each other radially inward thereof.

3. In a rod packing, the combination with a cone member internally tapered; of a packing member externally tapered to correspond therewith and made in segments, each having a recess in one end and a tongue at its other end of less length than the depth of said recess, the edges of said recess and tongue being parallel circumferentially of this member but diverging from each other radially outward and the ends of each segment above and below the tongue and above and below its recess being beveled.

4. In a rod packing, the combination with a surrounding sleeve tapered on its interior; of a segmental cone member longer than said sleeve and externally tapered to correspond with the internal taper thereof, the interior of the cone member being tapered in the same direction as its exterior but steeper, and a packing member externally tapered to correspond with the internal taper of said cone member and made 'in segments having inter-engaging recesses and tongues at their extremities, the edges of said recesses and tongues being parallel circumferentially of this member but diverging from each other radially out-ward and the ends of each segment above and below the tongue and above and below the recess being beveled.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALANSON CLARENCE THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

H. H. BROWN, RUBY NEWLIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0. 

